June 17, 2015 - With yesterday’s passage of the Every Child Achieves Act, S. 1177, by the United States Senate both chambers of Congress have finally completed work on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind.

CBS Miami - July 7, 2015 - Pointing to choices made by parents, a state judge has ruled that a Southeast Florida school district cannot require a charter school to provide bus transportation to students.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors recognize the challenges that charter school leaders experience in finding acceptable facilities for their schools, especially those seeking to open high-quality charter schools in some of our nation’s neediest communities.

City and state-based public charter school support organizations representing 95 percent of charter school families nationwide pledge support for high-quality, fiscally responsible school options in their state.

The virtual doors of the new Florida Principal and Teacher Academy (FPTA) opened this week. Created by FCPCS, FPTA offers 20 state-approved online professional development courses that award valuable in-service points to teachers and principals.

Tallahassee, Fla., June 1, 2015 – Today, the State Board of Education members signed a resolution asking the Florida Legislature to increase per-student funding to the highest level in Florida’s history, making an unprecedented investment in Florida’s future.

On May 1, 2015, just weeks before their high school commencement ceremony, 55 students from Mater Academy Charter High in Hialeah Gardens graduated from Miami Dade College. What makes these kids remarkable is that they earned an Associate Degree while completing a rigorous high school program that included AP courses and afterschool clubs and sports and, in many cases, also earning scholarships to universities. Many of these students are children of immigrants, and the first in their family to graduate from college.

As Districts/charter authorizers push for tighter controls, one study argues for regulatory humility. This article from RedefinED is about the study and expresses our concern perfectly: "…a line of questioning on a charter application has little chance of predicting a school’s success, but a great chance of stopping potentially great schools from opening."

On Wednesday, May 20, the State Board of Education unanimously supported a motion asking state lawmakers to implement Governor Scott's education budget proposal during their upcoming special session. FCPCS supports efforts to increase per student funding and provide school leaders with the necessary funds to meet the educational needs of the children we serve.

Florida’s charter school movement would like to see the authorizing process improve without creating barriers to entry for legitimate upstarts by parents and teachers. In this article, Travis Pillow with RedefinED speaks with FCPCS and Districts about this critical issue.

On Monday, May 3rd, 2015, charter school students, teachers, and advocates across the country kicked off National Charter Schools Week with a series of events that included a proclamation by the White House, open houses and pep rallies, video clips and messages from students shared on social media. Those messages tell the real story of how charter schools are impacting the lives of the students we serve.

At 1:15 PM on Tuesday, April 28, the Florida House of Representatives adjourned when Speaker Steve Crisafulli (R-Merritt Island) declared the House and Senate were at an impasse over the budget – ending the House’s 2015 Regular Session a little more than three days early.